Shadow Walkers
“We walk in the shadows so that those who walk in the light of day will not have to meet the things that creep in the night or fear the things that go bump in the dark.” The Atarin, known as the Shadow Walkers have long been whispered to be guardians of the mortals of the Great Realms (now known as the Poisoned World) from before Bastion was born, but this is only rumored. The Shadow Walkers are the clandestine operations arm of the Glyphmasters, though this is not readily known. The Book of Shadows is the seminal and guiding document of the Atarin containing their purpose and much of their lore. The Book of Shadows opens with Exodus which serves as a code, warning, encouragement and preface of the Book. Exodus: Code of the Shadow Walkers There are people… and things... that walk in dark places, with dark powers. The power of Light and Good keep these forces at bay, but men and guardians are often fickle; not willingly do they remember the fearsome things they encounter in the dark. They oft allow realities to become memories... memories to become bad dreams… and bad dreams to become children’s tales… This is when darkness is most powerful and evil things happen, when good men forget and vigil fails, when the righters of wrong rest and sleep. This is when the darkness of dreams becomes the substance of nightmares. There are a few souls appointed to the task of walking in the shadows, the knowledge and responsibility they possess never allowing them to fully enjoy the fruits of the freedom that they grant to those who sleep blissfully unaware of the things that attempt to cross over the sleepy lines of reality and into the lives of the unsuspecting and unaware. As a guardian of everything living, we stand at the edge of what is possible and hold off the unspeakable. Life is precious. It is one of the few things that we cannot replace. Even the mightiest of the angelus, those servants of Great Power, need the blessing of Yashua-Light Bringer to extend the life of a man. As such, we avoid taking sapient life at all costs, and we will not take any life casually or without cause. We are empowered by a power greater than ourselves, a power that will never fail us as long as our hearts are true to our calling. Yashua-Light Bringer has called us to carry Light into dark places, to unveil that Light at times of greatest darkness, to help those whose eyes dare to pierce the Shadow-veil upon occasion, to see the darkness which roars in our minds and threatens to devour our souls. Solarii Eternus. We willingly leave the light of day to walk in the realms of twilight, knowing that the Light that has been placed within us will overcome the darkness… if we simply dare enter in. We do not reveal who we are and what we do without cause. Very few would believe us, many would mistrust us, some would hunt us - as those of the realms of shadows do already. Always remember the Light. The things you do, you do them to protect that which is true, respect-worthy, just, pure, lovely, commendable, innocent, good… Avoid doing that which is evil at all costs, but always know that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few or the one. Wisdom The second section of the Book of Shadows is called Wisdom, and - with little alteration - is essentially identical to the Books of Psalms, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes found in the Bible. Of A Truth The third section is titled “Of A Truth”, and are a collection of short stories (some as short as a paragraph), which are very similar to police case studies of Shadow Walkers throughout the past centuries. Ars Umbra Magnifique The fourth section, “Ars Umbra Magnifique”, or “The Magnificent Shadow Arts”, are detailed explanations and exercises of abilities focusing on how the energies of Light (life and truth) and Glip (glyph-energy) works in harmony with shadows. Ars Umbra Magnifique teaches that there are 3 True Lights: (Candle) The Light Within, (Glip) The Light Around, and (Truth) The Light of Yashua Light-Bringer. As opposed to inspiring fear and trepidation, Ars Umbra Magnifique makes it easier to visualize shadow as similar to the oriental concept of Yin-Yang, with the obscuring of light by other objects and effects as creating shadow. Understanding and mastering the Shadow Arts taught in the Book is more about understanding the limitation of obscured light than it is about understanding darkness. Darkness occurs when there is no light. game terms, the character could develop “Shadow Arts” as an aspect or stunt which allows then to manipulate light and shadows. Gibba The fifth section is simply called “Gibba” or “Bump”, the title alluding to the enemies which the Shadow Walkers often face, the things that go “bump” in the night. Most gibba are phantasms - creatures or beings made of “Dreamstuff”, and have little power against most adults. Against children, who can often see into the Fantastic Realms more readily, gibba have more substance - and can affect them. Shadow Beings are difficult to comprehend. It is suspected that they are phantasms that have somehow “grown” to the place of being able to survive in shadows, having taken on the stuff of shadows. The greatest of these are Shadow Puppets, mortals - usually those who practice mystical arts - who have “traded” or given control of themselves in exchange for knowledge and power. This is common in koldun (masters of the ancient arts) who have the gifts of Qilin (Glyphmasters), Chimera (Shapechangers), and Merhorse (Mindwalkers). Miasma The sixth section is called “Miasma” or “Corruption.” It is believed by some Shadow Walkers that Shadow Puppets were responsible for the “End of the Days Before,” causing the last world to erupt into the war which resulted in creation of the miasma. It’s also believed that some of these beings may have bonded with the miasma and have become beings of great power and unimaginable danger to people-kind. We pray that this is not true...